Baby-feeder.



M. A. SMITH.

BABY FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I, 1917.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

constitutes a limitation on its use; 80

nNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MIRIAM AMES SMITH, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

BABY-FEEDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 21, 1917. Serial No. 163,615.

To all whom, it may concern:

- 'Be it known that I, MIRIAM AMES SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Baby-Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a baby feeder and has as its object the meeting of. certain requirements which are essential to practical success in a device of this character: To be of any use whatever, a baby feederi-must-be--.

absolutely safe and, tothat end it should take all weight off the baby-both the Weight of the device itself and that of the bottle and its contents. It should also "hold the bottle'fixed in exactly the correctposition irrespective of any movement by the baby and to this end it must be incapable of tilting or otherwise shifting its position after it has once been properlylocated. Of course this does not exclude adjustabi'lity which, on the contrary, is'highly desirable. In addition to these primary requisites, the usefulness of such a device is reatly iiicreased if itis not necessary to asten it toany article of furniture since this of course My baby feeder meets all of the above essential requirements and being a self-com .tained device, complete in itself, may be used anywhere and is therefore very convenient.

My device comprises a support adapted'to conform to the body of the baby and to be placed under it, the support thus being held in fixed position by the weight of the baby, and aholder for a nursing bottle.- The su port is preferably a spring band and is su ciently stifi to take both the weight of the which one of the ends Fig. 4 is a detail perspective from the underside of" a modified form of support in has. a keeper for the other.

In the figures thus described, 1 is the sup- .port preferably of spring metal shaped'so that itlwill conform to the body of the baby, though it should be understood that the support has no tendency to squeeze the baby or exert any pressure upon its body. The support furnishes a flat portion underneath the body of the baby and, as stated above is held in. position vbynthe..weight o f the baby. The

ends2, 3 of the support preferably overlap beneath the baby as shown in Fig. 2, so that the device may be applied and removed Patented Dec. 10, 191a.v

without lifting or reaching under the baby. 1

One of the ends preferably the upper end 2 may be provided with a keeper 4 as shown in Fig. 4. The support, whatever its specific form, is extensible, which adapts it to use with growing. babies. On the supporting band 1 is adjustably mounted a. holder for a nursing bottle 5, said holderconveniently taking the form of a spring clip 6 adjustably mounted on the support. Since the purpose of the adjustment is to enable the bottle to be placed at the correct inclination,

I I find it satisfactory to employ a pivoted or hinged arrangement which may be constructed' asillustrated, the yoke 7 being secured to the support 1 and having ears 8.

spring metal and having ears 10 which tend to spring outward against the ears8 of the *yoke 7, both sets of ears 8 and 10 having the registering holes through which; passes pintle 11. The result is that the holder and bottle may be adjusted in any desired posi tion, the friction between the ears maintaining this adjustment. It will be obvious that i the bottle is thus held fixed above the body of the baby in a predetermined position, the weight of the baby holding the entire device in place so that it has no tendency to tilt or to move in any direction. This, in the first place, removes any possibility of the device permitting the bottle to tilt against the babys gums or jaws and obviates any danger of choking, since the baby may withdraw its mouth from the nipple and take it again, the position of the nipple remaining fixed, and can do this without any outside help.

It is obvious that the device may be read- Carrying the clip 6 is a'reversed yoke 9 of ily applied and that it may be removedwithout risk of waking the baby. This is accomplished Without difficulty in the case of both forms which I have illustrated but it is perhaps more easily accomplished in the very simple preferred form shownin Fig. 2 in which the ends of the support 1 above the body of the baby and fixed in a predetermined location with relation thereto. 1 '3. Ababy feeder comprising a spring band adapted to conform to the body of the baby and to be placed under it, and a holder for are unconnected. But to keep the band in correct position with its ends in precisely the right relation the keeper 4 may be provided on one end of the support 1, the other end of the band passing through the keeper as shown in Fig. 4.

I have not of course attempted to illustrate. all modifications and it will be apparent that I am not limited to the details holder and bottle and maintaining the bottle a nursing bottle adjustab-ly mounted on said band above the body of the baby. 4. A baby 'feeder comprisinga springband adapted to conform to the body of the baby and to be placed under it, and a holder for a nursing bottle frictionally hinged on said band above the body of the baby.

5. Ababy feeder comprising a stiff spring band adapted to encircle the body of the baby and be held in position by the Weight thereof, and means adjustably mounted on said support for-releasably holding a nursing bottle, the entire device when in place holding the bottle fixed in a predetermined position above the body of the baby, the weight of the device, bottle and contents being taken f of? the baby.

6. A baby feeder comprising a stiff spring band having ends adapted to be inserted under the body of the baby fromopposite sides and be held in position by the weight thereof, and to be removed from under the body of the baby from opposite sides, and

means adjustably mounted on said band for I holding a nursing bottle, the "entire device when in place holding the bottle fixed in a predetermined position above the body of the baby, the weight of the device, bottle and contents being taken off the baby.

In. testimony whereof I affix my signature 'in presence of two Witnesses.

MIRIAM AMES SMITH.

Witnesses:

- ALBERT E. SMITH, JOHN H. Kim. 

